Convertible furniture



Marci: 15, 3938. q. A. ARTCDN 2,111,415

CONVERT I BLE FURNITURE Filed April 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Shea"; 1

HMHHH March 15, 1938, J. A. ARTON CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE I Filed April 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W M a Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to convertible furniture, and particularly to that class thereof in which a sofa or studio couch is converted into a bed. The object is improvement in such devices.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device as a couch;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view showing the device as a bed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the rear part of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section showing the parts at an intermediate position between the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 68 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a section on line of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

The front part of the device as shown in Fig. 1 is a wardrobe box formed. of a front board ill and end boards I! and I2. This box stands on legs I 3, which are preferably provided with casters as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, but are omitted in Figs. 1 and 2. Parallel with board Ill is a board 5, and secured to the boards mentioned is a bottom l6 for supporting anything placed within the box.

Secured to the rear inner faces of the boards H and |2 are metal bars having pivoting pins l8 near their upper ends. A rectangular frame l9 composed of angle irons has its rear sides pivoted upon the pins l8. This rectangular frame carries the springs and links 2|! which support the seat 2| of the couch.

The end pieces of the rectangular frame If] project to the rear of the pivots l3 and carry pins 22. Tension springs 23 connect these projections to the lower ends of the bars l1 and act to raise the frame l9 and seat 2| from the position shown in Fig. 4 to one somewhat above that shown in Fig. 5.

On the central part of the inner face of the front bar 24 is secured a bracket 25 to which is pivoted a latch 26 which is moved to the left (Fig. 7) by a spring 21. A pin 28 on the front board II] is engaged by this latch to hold the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4. By lifting up the front central part of the cushion or seat 2|, and applying a finger to the tail of the latch 26 to release said latch from pin 28, the spring 23 acts to raise the seat.

Arranged between the legs l3, and under the bottom i6, is a rectangular frame 29 having legs 30. Directly above this frame in Fig. 4 is another frame 3| which has springs 32 and cushion 33. Pivoted at 34 on each end bar of frame 29, and at 35 on each end bar of frame 3|, is a link 36 having a pin 31 near its center of length. Pivoted at 38 and 39 are similar links 40 having notches 4| adapted to engage pins 31 and stop a clockwise movement of frame 3| and cushion 33 with respect to the pivots 34 and 38.

Pivoted at 42 on the rear end bars of frame 29 are angle bar links 43, and pivoted at 44 on similar end bars of the frame 3| are plain links 45. These links are connected together by pivots 46. With the links 43 and 45 in the full line position of Fig. 4, the frame 3| and cushion 33 cannot be moved in a contraclockwise direction on pivots 38 by reason of link 45 striking the flange on link 43, or by link 43 striking the rear flange of frame 29.

But these links are at the ends of the bed, as shown in Fig. 2, and may be pushed inward by foot to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4. With the links 43 and 45 thus moved, the frame 3| may be turned by hand in a contraclockwise direction on the pivots 38. In such turning, the links 36 move downward on pivots 34 until such turning is stopped by the pins 37 coming to rest in recesses 41 in the end bars of frame 29.

In this turning of the frame 3| on two pivots, the left hand side of said frame moves downward and the right hand side moves upward until the frame and cushion 33 are in the position shown in Fig. 5. During this proceeding, the wardrobe box and its cushion or seat 2| have remained in the position shown in Fig. 4. The next step is to release the latch 26 as before described so as to permit the frame I!) and cushion 2| to rise on the pivots l8 under the action of springs 23. The wardrobe box is then pushed back over the frame 29 until the pins 22 come adjacent to the notches 4| in links 45 as shown in Fig. 5. Then by pressing downward on the frame l9 until the latch 26 engages pin 28, the pins 22, acting on links 43, will serve to raise the frame 29 and its rear legs 38 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 3.

In the position just described, the end bars of frame 29 constitute a lever supported on pins 38 as pivots. The heavy parts, consisting of frame 3| and parts secured thereto, are on the short end of the lever. The pivots 38 are so located that the weight of the long end of the lever slightly overbalances the short end with the result that the legs 3|! shown at the right in Figs. 4 and 5 rest very lightly on the floor. Under such conditions, substantially the entire weight of the device is supported on the casters and it can be moved about with freedom and ease.

In changing the device from the couch of Fig. 1 to the bed of Fig. 2, the first step is to raise the front central part of the cushion 2| and release the latch 26. The springs 23 then act to raise the seat section as if it were the lid of a box (it is the lid of the wardrobe box) to an angle of about forty-five degrees. This permits the back section to move downward until its weight rests on the floor thru the rear legs 36.

The front or seat section may then be moved outward on its casters, leaving the rear section standing still. On the rear side of board l5, and adjacent to each end, is a bracket 50 to which a bar 5| is pivoted at 52. The free end of each bar is turned down as shown at 53 in Fig. 4 to engage the side bar 54 of frame 29. When the wardrobe box is pushed inward over the frame 29, the springs 56 fold the bars back towards the brackets 50. When the wardrobe box is pulled out, lips 53 limit such outward movement.

After the wardrobe box has been moved out to the position shown in Fig. 4, the back section, consisting of the frame 3| and cushion 33, may be turned forward on pivots 34 and 38 from the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5 to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, without moving it away from the wall with which a couch is normally in contact. In this proceeding, the back rest 55 of the couch is turned downward and forms no part of the bed.

In moving the back section from vertical to horizontal position, the links 43-45 straighten out, and are at about their dotted line position of Fig. 4 as the upper end of the back section approaches its horizontal position. At this instant, the links are moving rapidly toward the rear, and, as the downward movement of the upper end of the back section comes to rest by the notches 4| coming into contact with pins 31, the momentum of the links 43-45 carries them past the center to the full line position of Fig. 4. In this position the links become a lock to hold the back section in its horizontal position.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, it is to be noted that the links 40 have their lower fixed pivots 38 near the rear end of the frame 29, and that their upper and movable pivots 39 are removed a considerable distance from the corresponding end of frame 3|, which frame is the support for the back rest cushions 55, the spring 32 and the cushion or mattress 33. The links 36 have their movable pivots 35 near the rear end of the frame 3| as shown in Fig. 4, and their fixed pivots 34 are at such a place on frame 29 that the movable pivots 35 will come to the rear of frame 29 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5. The pins 31 and slots 4| are near the centers of the links 36 and 40, and are so related to each other as to stop the forward pivotal movement of the frame 3| when it reaches its horizontal position. As so arranged, the frame 3|, and the pivoted links on which it is moved, constitute a bracket of the type commonly referred to as a cantilever. The purpose of this construction is to provide means by which the front face of the enclosing upholstery 55 (Fig. 1) will be supported out of contact with any framework when it is in the position shown in Fig. 4, and there is a load on the mattress 33. If the frame or bed platform 3| is not supported, when in its horizontal position, by some means other than contact with the front face of the back rest 55, then that upholstery will not only be damaged, but the mattress 33 will not be maintained in its proper relationship to mattress 2|, as shown in Fig. 4.

n the bottom l6, and under the ends of the board l5, are brackets 60 which carry rollers 6|. These rollers are in line with the horizontal flanges of the end bars of frame 29, and on these flanges are strips of wood 62 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. These strips have beveled ends, and the side bars 54 are notched in line with the strips and rollers so that said rollers may engage the strips when the seat section is moved inward. The parts are so arranged that when the seat section is moved to change the device from a bed to a couch, the rollers 6| riding on the strips 62 will raise the adjacent casters 63 from the floor and let them down again when the seat section is at its extreme inward position. In the reverse movement, the same casters are raised at the beginning of the movement and are lowered at the end thereof.

More than one half of the weight of the seat section is carried on these casters, and by lifting them from the floor it avoids marring the floor by constant travelling back and forth in the same track. Also,the edge of a floor rug is usually in the path of these casters when moved in a direction to change the device from a couch to a bed. By raising the casters, they do not catch on the edge of the rug.

It is to be noticed that this device consists of a back section and a seat section, and that the seat section consists of a wardrobe box having the seat hinged thereto as a. lid. As a couch, the back section is supported on the seat section, and the seat section is mounted upon casters so that the entire device can be moved freely about the room. In other studio couches which consist of two parts, one part rests on one-way casters and the other part has its entire weight in frictional contact with the floor.

In changing the device from a couch to a bed, the back section is lowered into frictional contact with the floor, and the seat section is moved outward on its casters and rollers 6| to an automatic stop. The back section is then turned on its pivots to horizontal position without moving it away from the wall. In this operation, a cushion on the back face of the back section and normally in contact with the wall, becomes a mattress which adjoins the cushion on the seat section to form a complete mattress for a full size bed. By making the pivots 52 somewhat loose, the bars may be lifted by hand to free the lips 53 from the bar 54, in which case the seat section may be separated from the back section, and the two sections form twin beds.

It is to be observed that the mechanism which may be seen at the left in Fig. 2 when the device is used as a bed, is completely concealed when it is used as a couch, as shown in Fig. 1. This is accomplished by the seat section moving over the horizontal part of the back section, and enclosing the ends of the back section by its boards and I2.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a back section resting on casterless feet on the floor when the device is in the form of a bed, a wardrobe box mounted upon casters, a hinged lid for said box and serving as a seat section for said device when in the form of a couch, and means operated by said lid for raising the back section from the floor when the device is in the couch form.

2. In a device of the class described, a horizontal frame resting upon the floor, links having their ends pivoted to said frame, a second frame pivoted on the free ends of said links and movable between vertical and horizontal positions, and means carried by one of said links and serving to limit such movements by engagement with the horizontal frame at one extreme and with the other link at the other extreme.

3. In convertible furniture, a back section, a wardrobe box having a hinged lid and serving as a seat section, and means for connecting and disconnecting said sections by movements of said lid on its hinge.

4. In a couch, a horizontal portion having a pivoted and cushioned seat thereon and a vertical portion having a back rest on its front face and a cushion on the face normally adjacent to a wall, means operated by the pivotal movements of the seat section to secure the two portions together and to release them from each other, said horizontal portion being manually movable from the vertical portion when released, and pivotal connections on which the vertical portion may be moved so that its cushion alines with the cushion on the seat when the seat is so moved.

5. In convertible furniture, a back section resting on casterless feet on the floor, a front section mounted upon casters and movable to and from the back section, a seat portion pivoted upon the front section and having a projecting part adapted to engage the back section when the front section is moved adjacent thereto, and means by which a pivotal movement of the seat section serves to raise the weight of the back section from the floor.

6. In convertible furniture, a back section resting upon casterless feet on the floor when the furniture is in the form of a bed, a front section provided with casters and movable to and from the back section, means carried by the back section for raising substantially one-half of the weight of the front section from the floor during parts of such movements, and means carried by the front section for raising the back section from the floor when the furniture is in the form of a sofa.

7. In convertible furniture adapted to serve at one time as a sofa and at another time as a bed, a back section having a pivotally movable part thereon, a front section having a pivotally connected seat thereon, and a pin and hook connection serving to hold the sections together when the furniture is in sofa form, said pin and hook connection being releasable by moving the seat on its pivotal connection,

JOHN A. ARTON. 

